#169 Drugstore & Thom Yorke – El President

In a world of dreadful duets it is cause for minor celebration when a good one comes along. And so in 1998 with Radiohead’s monumental ‘OK Computer’ still wooing the world Thom Yorke teamed up with Isabel Monteiro and her Drugstore cohorts to record the ravishing ‘El President’. Steeped in the wonderful vocals of both singers it is also an example of understated playing as a roving cello proves to be just as moving as the voices. Yorke is in inspired form, as if he was giving his all for the last time before the robots took over (‘Kid A’…sigh). Monteiro for her parts sighs and coos in equal doses segueing seamlessly with her partner to create a heartbreaking delight. KD